Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend would not be drawn on whether the win over Georgia has changed his World Cup plans.

Centre Rory Hutchinson impressed, scoring two tries on his first Test start, while number eight Matt Fagerson also stood out.

Townsend names his final 31-man squad for Japan on Tuesday.

"The more players that are playing and training well the harder it will be to get it down to 31 players," he said.

"The big positive is that it looks like we haven't picked up any injuries as well. It looks like we'll have a full squad minus Sam Skinner to select from."

The 44-10 win in the Dinamo Arena was Scotland's first away win from home in 14 months, and followed a win against France at Murrayfield which avenged a humbling defeat in Nice seven days previous.

Scotland raced into a 20-0 lead and never looked back, scoring a total of five tries.

"It gives us something to build on next week, it's a nicer feeling in the changing room," Townsend told BBC Scotland.

"We went to a different venue with a noisy home support, with a team we're not used to playing [against] and we adapted well, we were focussed we looked fit and we were accurate."

Centre spots up for grabs - analysis

Former Scotland and Lions prop Peter Wright on BBC Sportsound

I think he'll have picked them all apart from the centres. If he is not taking Huw Jones, then that performance [as a substitute] probably reinforces that decision. My concern with him is he's struggled for form for a wee while. I think in attack he's got it, he's scored a number of tries at the highest level. It's defensively I would be slightly concerned. But one of the reasons you potentially take him is he can create something out of nothing.

I know Rory Hutchinson has played well for Northampton but that's not international rugby. I'm really old fashioned and I think you earn your position over more than two games.

Scotland hooker Fraser Brown on BBC Sportsound

Sam Johnson has the ability to straighten the line, run really hard, break tackles and get you over the gain-line. There's something to be said for having assuredness and good defenders at 12 and 13 because it gives you solidity. It allows you to bring those other players [Finn Russell, Sean Maitland, Tommy Seymour] into the game in another way.

The Wales bench felt like the waiting room for an audition at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

Some had already taken their turn, others on the pitch were in the midst of theirs, while some were still sitting on the sidelines waiting for their opportunity.

Ireland were the opponents but, with World Cup squad places at stake, Wales' players also saw their own team-mates as rivals.

A few glances exchanged, the odd nod of recognition, an eagerness to impress. Anticipation. Nerves.

In the role of casting director was Warren Gatland, sitting in the stands with his coaching team, running the rule over the candidates one last time before naming Wales' 31-man World Cup squad on Sunday.

Debutant Owen Lane was given a chastening introduction to Test rugby as he was turned over inside two minutes, but the Cardiff Blues wing responded well with a smartly-taken try in the second half.

His regional colleague Jarrod Evans, meanwhile, endured a difficult first Wales start. His replacement in the second half, Rhys Patchell, may now be viewed as the favourite to be Dan Biggar's fly-half understudy in Japan.

Gatland had said beforehand that Evans and Patchell were in a straight shootout for the second 10 spot for the World Cup, and Patchell's assured display - rounded off nicely with a try - appeared to settle that debate in his favour.

"Some people put up their hand. We had a few questions answered," said Gatland.

"It was good from that point of view. A lot of players getting their first start and it was tough for them."

Answers for Gatland then, but the players were still in the dark.

"What I believe is neither here nor there. I don't make the decision," said Patchell.

"I can only do what I can do. My opinion has no clout - I don't pick the squad."

The most important opinion belonged to Gatland, who was taking charge of his final match in Cardiff as Wales head coach before his 12-year reign comes to an end after the World Cup.

Not that the New Zealander wanted this occasion to be about him. An inscrutable sort who tends to keep his feelings to himself, the 55-year-old was more concerned about the weighty responsibility of not only selecting his final 31 but of breaking the bad news to the nine who will miss out.

He knows how it feels to be left out of a World Cup squad, having suffered that fate with the All Blacks in 1991.

But even as a hardy character who would rather deflect attention towards others, Gatland admitted this last Cardiff match day as Wales coach stirred the emotions.

"I was a bit choked up and lost for words," he said.

"It was emotional. I have loved my time in Wales and even coming off the pitch I was quite emotional thinking it was the last time here and going down Westgate Street and to the stadium.

"I would just like to say a big thank you. This is a special nation with special people and very passionate and kind."

That rare show of emotion did not last long.

Gatland had to rush back to Wales' training base at the Vale of Glamorgan Resort for a meeting with his staff during which they would decide on the final 31-man squad for the World Cup.

What started as an extended training group of 42 players had already been reduced by two tournament-injuries to number eight Taulupe Faletau and fly-half Gareth Anscombe.

Now it was time for the final cut.

Gatland had been open about the fact he had already decided on the vast majority of his squad months ago; that only six or seven places remained up for grabs.

That is where the significance of this match against Ireland came into play.

Scott Williams or Owen Watkin? Hallam Amos or Lane? Gatland had plenty of dilemmas going into this game and, despite the defeat, there were plenty of answers too.

"We're disappointed with the result but I'm happy with a lot of what we got out of today," he added.

The remaining decisions will not be snap judgements.

Gatland will have forensically analysed his players over the course of the past 12 weeks, packed with intense training camps and these warm-up fixtures.

This World Cup has been years in the making, and there will be swathes of data - not just Saturday's loss to Ireland - which will influence the last few selection calls.

The players will learn their fate at 14:00 on Sunday afternoon. They have been given four different options: hearing the news via a telephone call, text, email or finding out live.

Gatland says breaking bad news to omitted players is the hardest part of his job.

Once he has navigated that unenviable task, he will turn his attention back to the World Cup - and his mission of ending his Wales tenure on the most spectacular high.

"There is a very special part in my heart for Wales and a nation of 3.3m. We have massively overachieved in the last 12 years or so, and we are not finished yet," said Gatland.

"If we are mentally and physically right and we go out there and we are on our game we can beat any team in the world.

"I honestly believe we will go a long way in this World Cup."

DARLINGTON, S.C. – William Byron is making a habit of winning the pole for crown-jewel races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Driving a neon green-and-yellow No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro themed after Cole Trickle’s iconic Days of Thunder ride from the 1990 movie, Byron sped to his third pole in as many marquee events this season, notching the top starting spot for Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Byron topped Saturday afternoon’s steamy qualifying session with a fast lap of 28.510 seconds (172.487 mph) in his City Chevrolet-sponsored entry, flying the banner for the Rick Hendrick-owned dealership carrying the same name.

It marked his fourth pole of the season, tying Kevin Harvick for the most in the Cup Series, and his first at Darlington.

Appropriately, Byron had a movie reference waiting for NBC Sports pit reporter Dave Burns after officially securing the Busch Pole Award for NASCAR’s most-grueling event.

“I guess we dropped the hammer on that one,” Byron quipped. “It was good, though! The car was really good for us. We luckily did a mock run yesterday. We had enough time to do one at the end of P1 (first practice), and I feel like that helped us propel our qualifying effort a little bit more, because we kind of knew what the grip level was going to be like and had an idea of what our balance was going to be.

“To have the City Chevrolet No. 24 on the pole is an awesome feeling, and now we’ll see what we can do for 500 miles Sunday night.”

Byron became the third driver to win the poles for the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 in the same season, joining Fireball Roberts (1962) and Bill Elliott (1985).

“It seems like we’ve put more effort into those marquee qualifying efforts, just knowing how important track position is and knowing that if we can have that first pit stall all day long and all night long, it’s going to be a big deal,” Byron noted. “It’s a really long race, though, and we want that victory. We just have to run all 500 miles and stay in it.

“It’s cool, though. Any time you can make a little piece of history like that, it’s a neat feeling.”

Defending Southern 500 winner Brad Keselowski will join Byron on the front row after a lap of 28.576 seconds (172.088 mph) with his No. 2 Miller Lite Throwback Ford Mustang.

The Chip Ganassi Racing pair of Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch will share the second row of the grid – starting third and fourth, respectively – with Daniel Suarez completing the top five.

Byron’s teammate Jimmie Johnson will start sixth, followed by Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, two-time Southern 500 winner Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney.

Among the top 10 starters, only Keselowski, Johnson and Hamlin are former Southern 500 winners.

Kyle Busch experienced engine issues with his No. 18 Toyota Camry on his qualifying lap, relegating him to 33rd on the time sheets and likely to the rear of the field for Sunday’s race after an engine change.

To view complete qualifying results, advance to the next page.

Promoted Union Berlin stunned title contenders Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Saturday to earn their first ever Bundesliga victory that left their opponents three points off the top.

Marius Buelter gave the hosts a shock lead in the 22nd minute, but their joy was short-lived with Dortmund forward Paco Alcacer stabbing in an equaliser three minutes later.

Instead of turning the game around, however, as they had done in both their previous league games when they fell a goal behind, Dortmund conceded again.

Buelter slotted in on the rebound after keeper Roman Buerki had done well to stop a shot. Sebastian Andersson then completed a fine passing move in the 75th to score their third.

Sebastian Andersson then completed a fine passing move in the 75th to score their third as the Alte Foersterei stadium erupted in song and fans lit flares.

"Obviously we are very disappointed," said Dortmund's Julian Brandt. "We have to learn from this. We are responsible for the way we play. We should have avoided falling behind in the first place."

The Ruhr valley club's first loss of the season leaves them on six points in fifth place, three behind leaders RB Leipzig, who are on nine after their 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach. Union are on four points.

Champions Bayern Munich demolished Mainz 05 6-1 to climb into second place on seven points.

India head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed why India have picked Ravindra Jadeja, rather than R Ashwin, as their lone spinner in the two Tests against West Indies. Shastri admitted it was difficult to leave a "world-class" bowler like Ashwin on the bench, but pointed to various attributes that gave Jadeja the edge.

Chiefly, he said India's team management had felt Jadeja's pace through the air would have made him difficult to face on a damp Antigua pitch in case India needed to bowl first.

"Jaddu's record is fabulous," Shastri said, speaking to the former England offspinner Graeme Swann, who is part of the Ten Sports commentary team. "You have to see what he brings to the table. He's arguably the best fielder in the world now. He's improved his batting like hell. And if you see these tracks, I don't think there will be much on offer for the spinner, so you would need control.

"The reason why we picked Jadeja in the first Test was, in case we fielded and the track was damp, with his pace he would have made life a little awkward for the batsmen. He could have been used even on day one in the first session of play.

"But it's tough - to keep a world-class guy like Ash out, and then there's Kuldeep [Yadav] in the wings. Never easy. For that matter, in the batting line-up, to keep someone like Rohit Sharma on the sidelines, especially on the back of five hundreds in the World Cup and some very good form that he's carrying, it's tough."

As it happened, West Indies chose to bowl first in Antigua. Jadeja played a key role with the bat, coming in at 189 for 6 in the first innings and scoring 58 to help haul India to a competitive total of 297. That innings continued a rich vein of batting form in Test cricket, where he has averaged 41.80, with a century and ten fifties, since the start of 2016.

Jadeja wasn't required to put in too much of a shift with the ball in Antigua, as the fast bowlers led the way in bowling India to a 318-run victory. The fast-bowling combination of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami has been a vital part of India's recent successes, and Shastri said having bowlers capable of taking 20 wickets in any conditions narrowed the gap between home and away Tests.

"[India bowling coach] Bharat Arun has seen a lot of these guys from a very young age," Shastri said. "Our endeavour was to get a really good bowling attack in place that could take us 20 wickets anywhere. Once you have a good bowling attack that can take 20 wickets anywhere, then no game is an away game. Every game is a home game. It doesn't matter what the pitch is, you have the ammunition.

"These three fast bowlers complement each other beautifully. One's tall (Ishant), Bumrah has the most awkward action yet gets the ball to swing both ways, and Shami is someone who presents the seam better than [most]. The only other guy I know who presents the seam in that fashion is Jimmy Anderson. You've got variety there, plus you've got spin - you've got Kuldeep, Ash, Jadeja, and there are two or three more in the ranks, which is good."

MINNEAPOLIS -- Less than three weeks after sending a fifth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Kaare Vedvik, the Minnesota Vikings have cut the 25-year-old kicker/punter.

The Vikings also parted ways Saturday with former first-round draft pick Laquon Treadwell, who failed to carve out a role in Minnesota's offense in the three seasons after he was drafted 23rd overall in 2016.

After a preseason of uncertainty surrounding their specialists, the Vikings will go with Dan Bailey as their kicker, Matt Wile as the punter and rookie Austin Cutting at long-snapper. The hope, according to a source, is that the team will be able to sign Vedvik to the practice squad on Sunday if he clears waivers.

The Norwegian-born combo kicker was 12-of-13 on field goals during the last two preseasons in Baltimore before going 1-for-4 on such kicks with the Vikings. Upon arriving in Minnesota, Vikings coaches considered the idea of letting Vedvik handle both kicking and punting responsibilities, something he'd previously handled during his collegiate career at Marshall, though the difficulties in handling such a heavy workload -- especially for a rookie -- were noted.

Vedvik's struggles became more frequent during the final days of the preseason. In Minnesota's last practice before playing in Buffalo, Vedvik went 5-for-9 on field goals. Asked about what he's learned with handling kickers who struggle in the preseason, coach Mike Zimmer noted the role he needs to have in helping these players overcome hurdles.

"It's a good question," Zimmer said. "I guess the biggest thing is I've got to have more patience, probably."

Treadwell was coming off a 2018 campaign where he recorded his first touchdown as a pro, notching a career-high 302 receiving yards while leading the team in dropped passes. Minnesota opted not to pick up the receiver's fifth-year option, which would have cost the Vikings $10.162 million next season.

Instead, Minnesota incurs $2,506,360 in dead cap by releasing Treadwell prior to his fourth season, given the proration of his signing bonus ($1,356,360) and the guaranteed portion of his 2019 salary ($1.15 million).

According to a source with knowledge of the language in Treadwell's contract, there is an offset provision, which means if Treadwell is claimed off waivers, the guarantee owed by the Vikings will reduce by the amount the new team pays him.

The news of Treadwell's release doesn't come as a surprise given how the past three seasons have transpired. Minnesota attempted to trade Treadwell this offseason and at multiple points dating back to the 2018 season -- both on cut-down day and again toward the October trade deadline.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound receiver never panned out to the level of expectations set forth when he was drafted in the first round as a big, physical outside receiver who also could line up in the slot and create mismatches while running underneath routes. Treadwell was passed up by others on the depth chart and failed to grab hold of the No. 3 receiver position behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

The Vikings haven't parted ways with many first-round picks prior to their fourth season. The last was wideout Troy Williamson, the No. 7 pick in the 2005 draft, whom the Vikings traded for a sixth-round pick after three seasons.

Among Minnesota's other notable cuts Saturday was Kyle Sloter, who had the highest preseason passer rating among quarterbacks with 40 or more attempts. Sloter was 39-of-51 passing in the preseason for 443 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a 120.0 passer rating.

The Vikings also attempted to find a trade partner for Sloter on Saturday before releasing him at the deadline. The quarterback came to Minnesota in 2017 after he was waived by Denver, where he began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent. Sloter was quickly promoted from the practice squad to active roster due to a non-contact knee injury Sam Bradford suffered early in the 2017 season and spent the season as Case Keenum's backup.

Sloter never saw action in a regular season game in Minnesota but routinely put up big numbers in preseason outings. Despite an impressive stat line in those games, Sloter never took a second-team rep at quarterback, which is the role Sean Mannion assumes this season in Minnesota behind starter Kirk Cousins.

"I don't know that you guys know all the little details about everything, you just see how he goes and does the game," Zimmer said of Sloter's preseason performances. "He's got to get a lot better in a lot of the other parts of being a quarterback. Making the right checks, getting people in the right formation, making sure the motion is there, not missing the time clock when it's eight yards in front of you. There's a lot of things that he has to get better at if he wants to be the backup quarterback."

Earlier in the preseason, Zimmer critiqued Sloter's abilities in practice versus what he does in games. While preseason practices during July and August are open to the media, practices in season are not. According to multiple team sources, those practices played the biggest factor in Sloter not moving up the depth chart over the past three seasons. His struggles operating the huddle, getting the right playcall and into the right cadence along with his accuracy and decision-making hindered Sloter's ability to cement himself as Cousins' backup.

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- With contract talks at an impasse, the Los Angeles Chargers granted running back Melvin Gordon's representation permission to seek a trade, according to a source.

The NFL Network was the first to report the news.

Gordon did not report to the start of training camp at the end of July, telling the Chargers through his representation that if he did not receive a new deal, he would sit out and demand a trade.

Gordon desires a contract extension that will compensate him among the top running backs in the league like Todd Gurley II, David Johnson and Le'Veon Bell, who earn an average of $13 million to $14 million annually.

The Chargers have offered Gordon a new contract that doubles his salary at roughly $10 million annually -- but so far that hasn't been enough to get Gordon into camp.

He is set to make $5.605 million in 2019 on the fifth-year team option of his rookie deal.

"I'm disappointed it has lasted this long," Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said about Gordon's holdout this week. "I pride myself in having solutions to problems, and I haven't solved this one yet. We know what he means to our team, and even bigger than that what he means to our organization. But the other side is we have a big game coming up this week with the Colts, and I'm confident in the players that we have on the field right now will play well."

NEW YORK -- Sean Manaea is scheduled to start Sunday for the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium, making his season debut after recovering from left shoulder surgery.

Manaea will come off the injured list when rosters expand Sunday, manager Bob Melvin said. With an off day Monday, right-hander Mike Fiers (13-3) will be pushed back to Tuesday at home against the Los Angeles Angels to give him extra rest.

Oakland is locked in a tight race with Cleveland and Tampa Bay for the two American League wild cards.

Manaea went 12-9 with a 3.59 ERA in 27 starts last year and pitched a no-hitter in April against eventual World Series champion Boston. He was sidelined in late August and had surgery on Sept. 19.

The 27-year-old left-hander has been rehabbing in the minors this season, going 3-3 with a 4.71 ERA in eight starts -- and his most recent one was a gem. Manaea struck out 12 over seven shutout innings of two-hit ball for Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 23 at Tacoma.

"We just got to the point where we need to get him in a game," Melvin said. "He was really effective his last time out. He's shown he can be a really effective pitcher for us. And I think for the first time we're able to give Mike Fiers a couple days off, get him back at home where he's been really successful, too. So we just didn't want a guy as good as Sean Manaea sitting around that long and not pitching, especially after his last outing, which was by far his best of his rehab assignment."

Manaea, who joined the A's a few days ago on their road trip, made his major league debut for Oakland in 2016 and is 31-28 with a 3.94 ERA in 81 career games (80 starts). He was drafted 34th overall by the Kansas City Royals in 2013 and traded to the Athletics two years later in a deal for Ben Zobrist.

Melvin said Manaea is excited to get back on a major league mound against the AL East-leading Yankees.

"He's an excitable young man," Melvin said with a smile.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Cleveland Indians left fielder Tyler Naquin has a torn ACL in his right knee, the second major injury the team has suffered in a week as it makes a push for the playoffs.

Naquin was carted off the field after crashing into the wall while taking away a potential two-run homer from Joey Wendle in Friday night's 4-0 loss at Tampa Bay.

The 28-year-old Naquin was unable to put any weight on his leg. He was down on the ground, grimacing in pain, before being taken off the field in a cart.

Naquin ranks second in the AL with 11 assists. He is batting .288 in 89 games this season. He missed 22 games with a strained calf and underwent hip surgery last year.

Naquin was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday. First baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers was recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

The Indians lost third baseman Jose Ramirez when he broke his hand last weekend. He had surgery Monday. The team estimates Ramirez could be back as early as Oct. 1, when the AL playoffs open.

The Indians trail first-place Minnesota by 4+ games in the AL Central but have a one-half game lead in the wild-card race.